SAN JOSE -– In pivotal moments throughout previous Sharks playoff runs, the team’s best and most important players have been accused of fading when the temperature gets turned up. Those past failures haven’t been their entire fault, of course, but it’s not exactly an unfair suggestion.
In Game 5 of their second round playoff series with Nashville, though, there was no question who leading the charge in the biggest game of the season to date.
Captain Joe Pavelski scored two goals, former captain Patrick Marleau had one goal and set another up, other former captain Joe Thornton made the best pass of the night on Pavelski’s game-winner, while alternate captain Logan Couture had a backbreaking second period breakaway score while centering the Sharks’ best line.